Reunion
by Rasengan22
Summary: An unofficial class reunion has Naruto anxious about seeing an old rival.


Sakura nudged him under the table with her foot. "Naruto, you _have_ to go. Everyone else is going to be there. So what if he is? Just ignore him if it's going to be that big of a deal."

"You just want me to go so you have someone to walk in with, and then you'll totally ditch me once you see Ino." Morosely, Naruto picked through the bowl of M&Ms, throwing out the red ones.

"No, what I _want_ is for you to stop dwelling on the past. You're both adults now." She watched Naruto as he continued to sort his candies. "Well, sort of."

"But you _know_ how he's gonna be, Sakura. He'll be all 'Hi, I'm Sasuke, I'm all successful and above everyone and that's because I left all you stupid peons in the dust 'cause all you ever did was hold me back'."

"Right," drawled Sakura. "I can tell this is bothering you, so I will leave it up to you whether you go or not, but let me just say," she poked him hard at the top of his arm with a plastic fork, "I will be _very_ disappointed if you do not go."

"I think I can live with that." Naruto glanced up at her and smirked flirtatiously.

Sakura glared. "Don't try to fool me, Naruto Uzumaki. You know and I know that you _want_ to see him again." She clucked her tongue. "You're just afraid he doesn't want to see _you_."

"Like he even remembers me."

"In that case, there's nothing to worry about, is there?"

"Thanks, thanks a lot." Naruto pushed the M&Ms toward the center of the table. "I'll think about it, alright?"

Sakura smiled and put her hand on top of his. "Oh, and also, I'm bringing my date over to the apartment afterward, so if you could maybe hang out with the boys until a little later or... spend the night at Kiba or Sai's?"

"Fucking gay! _That's_ why you want me to go tonight? So you can shag that guy you met at that stupid speed datin' thing last week?"

"No, you idiot! He's just coming over to watch a movie, and I don't want you chasing him away like you do all the other guys I bring home."

"Please, that's 'cause you have terrible taste in men." He grinned. "You always have."

"Good thing I never completely fell for you then, huh?" She said it teasingly and with a hint of a wistful smile. Yet, it still sort of stung to hear even though their friendship had been one of the most important things to ever happen to him in his life. "Sorry, I didn't really mean it like that - "

Naruto waved a hand at her. "I didn't take offense, no worries. Yeah, I'll find somethin' to do after the party. I really hate sleepin' over at Sai's though. He's only got the one bed, and he always insists on sleepin' in it with me - "

"You are so oblivious sometimes, aren't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Nevermind. You think about whether or not you'd like to go, but I'm going no matter what. So be ready by around 8, okay?"

"Sure, babe. Whatever you say."

Sakura got up from the table, ruffling Naruto's hair on the way to her bedroom. "You're such a good roommate," she told him in passing.

Naruto kept a smile on his face until she'd shut the door behind her, and then he was left staring at the bowl of M&Ms along with the pile of red ones he'd picked out from the bunch. _Sasuke_, he thought. _If you pull any weird shit tonight, I'm not gonna hold back in kickin' your ass this time!_

Once at the party, Naruto was relieved to see no sign of Sasuke. It figures that the stuck up bastard would think he's too good to attend a party where most of his old classmates would be hanging out. Lots of people were home for the holidays. People he hadn't seen in ages, so he was glad Sakura had forced him to go. It wasn't really a formal "reunion," but some of the former council members (not including Sasuke, of course) had rented this really great space on the top floor of an old hotel in downtown St. Louis, near the landing. From the window, the arch was easy to see, and if he went to the opposite side of the room and peered out that window, he could see Busch Stadium.

Sakura had abandoned him to gossip with the girls, which was fine, because he'd spent most of the night taking shots with Kiba, Shikamaru, and Neji. Well, not really Neji because Neji was drinking wine only. Yes, he was _that_ guy.

They were standing beside one another, watching the various groups and cliques interact.

"So, do you think he'll show up?" Neji asked.

"_Why_ does everyone keep askin' _me_ that? I haven't talked to the guy in two and a half years probably, and that one time I ran into him at the piano bar shouldn't count. I think we spoke two words to each other? And I swear he left right after he saw I was there with some people."

"Maybe they ask because you were the one closest to him in high school?"

"We weren't _that_ close." Naruto shifted his weight to the other foot. "So, do you think the council forked out for a stripper? The party's kinda tame so far."

"I'm surprised you didn't hire one to show up," remarked Neji. "Considering all the pranks you used to pull. Do you remember the time you hired that man in a gorilla suit on Valentine's Day to terrorize the principal on her lunch break in the cafeteria?"

"Ha!" Naruto slapped his thigh and laughed. "She loved it. That old Tsunade loved it. Oh man. The two weeks detention I got for that was so worth it."

"And that time you stole all the dead frogs from the anatomy lab and put them in a pile on the floor of the girls' shower room? Or when you left that goat on the football field before the Homecoming game? Or when you organized that incident with the tractors and backed up the traffic in the parking lot for an hour?"

Naruto squinted proudly around the room. "Those were good times."

Neji shook his head. "It's good to know some things in life will never change."

Naruto turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Just that I'm happy you've remained so... consistent in character."

"Yeah, buddy," Naruto said awkwardly, trying to figure out if he was being complimented. "You, too. What do you think, Neji? Is it time to spike the punch?"

Neji smirked. "Sure, why not? For old time's sake."

Naruto grabbed the nearest bottle of straight alcohol, and they made their way to the punch bowl table.

As the night progressed, things started to get a tad more wild. The DJ the council had hired did not suck, and the dance floor was pretty large, and his school hadn't necessarily been filled with wallflowers (okay, except maybe Hinata but the years had been _way_ kind to her in looks and personality). She seemed a bit more outgoing than he remembered, or maybe that was what alcohol did to people? Everyone was getting along well, and the usual cliques from the old days had dissolved their borders. People he'd never thought could get along were laughing and talking. Naruto flitted about the room like the social butterfly he was, talking to anyone he came across.

It was 10.30, and there was still no sign of Sasuke. Sakura's date had showed up, though, much to his annoyance. The guy looked like a total tool, but he had to trust his roommate to figure that out on her own, he guessed.

After all that dancing and drinking, Naruto needed some fresh air, so he decided to leave the ballroom and head down to the lobby. The hotel was, indeed, very old, so the elevator creaked its way down, stopping every once in a while at a floor that had nobody there. When it finally reached the lobby, the doors slid apart, and as Naruto started to walk out, he nearly knocked into someone.

The apology spilled quickly from his lips before he even realized to whom he was apologizing.

"I see you're still clumsy after all of these years."

With eyes as wide as the rims on P. Diddy's Bentley, Naruto stood there stupidly until the elevator door tried to close on him, and it began to emit this shrill noise because it was being kept open. He couldn't get a word out, and Sasuke, not speaking to him further, simply pushed the door open and, very coolly, slid past him. Naruto, now out of the elevator, could only stare back at him as the door closed again, and the elevator proceeded upward to the ballroom.

Naruto paced back and forth along the sidewalk, wishing he hadn't left his jacket upstairs. He'd worked himself up so much prior to the party, and then he'd been so sure Sasuke wouldn't show up, but now that he had... yeah. Okay, things were a little awkward, but it wasn't like him to run away, so, after about five minutes of standing in the cold, he opted to go inside. The elevator ride seemed especially long, and, not that it was any surprise, but there was a group of people (mostly women) who'd gathered around Sasuke, bombarding him with millions of questions.

_Where are you living? Are you single? Married? Just how much money does your family make now? Would you like to be the father of my children? No? How about just my baby daddy?_

Slightly annoyed, Naruto slipped his hands into his pockets as he returned to the bar. Even Sakura - the traitor - was shamelessly flirting with him, and Sasuke hadn't even taken his jacket off yet! He ignored _that_ table and went to find Kiba as well as the couple of other guys who weren't busy kissing Sasuke's ass.

"Did you see who's here?" Shikamaru asked, slouching against the bar.

"Yeah. Is it just me or is this about like it was in high school? Is there nothin' that guy can do wrong?" Kiba commented from Naruto's other side.

Naruto grumbled, "He probably showed up late so that he could make some sort of _grand_ entrance."

"He looks sorta irritated though, don't y'think?" Kiba swirled the ice around in his near-empty glass. "You could probably go save him if y'wanted."

"Huh? Why me?" Naruto crossed his arms to his chest.

"Maybe because he keeps glancing this way, Naruto," said Shikamaru. "Like he's expecting you to rescue him from his swarms of adoring fans."

Naruto stared at Sasuke, observing him. He did appear rather uncomfortable. Was it wrong he derived a sick pleasure from that? Sighing his resignation, he stole Kiba's glass from his hand and drank it all in a matter of seconds. "Fine. I'll save him, but only 'cause I'm a nice guy."

"Yes," Shikamaru agreed. "Very nice."

Naruto pushed his way through the women to get to the table and was able to catch Sasuke's attention.

"Hey, wanna come drink with us?" He motioned to the other guys at the bar.

Sasuke looked at him first and then at Kiba and Shikamaru. He didn't respond directly to Naruto, but he did excuse himself from all of his admirers, which, Naruto supposed, was his way of saying 'yes'. Naruto led the way to the bar and bought him a beer.

"Here," he said, handing the bottle to Sasuke. "First one's on me."

"Thanks," Sasuke absently replied, scanning the room.

"Lookin' for anyone in particular?" Naruto asked, having noticed.

"Just making sure I know whom to hide from," Sasuke mumbled.

Naruto chuckled. "Have a few more drinks, and you won't even care who the hell you're talkin' to."

Sasuke turned to him, eyes narrowed at the empty glasses nearby.

"Oh, I didn't mean it like that," said Naruto. "Or, well, yeah, I've been drinkin', but that's not the only reason I'd be talkin' to you... Wait, that didn't sound right."

Kiba laughed beside him. "Nice save, Naruto."

"Ignore him, Sasuke. As you can tell, he's still an idiot," said Shikamaru.

"So I've noticed."

Naruto let that one go since he was trying to be a good sport. "No one thought you were gonna show up."

"I wasn't planning to," Sasuke told him. He didn't elaborate, so Naruto didn't prod any further.

"Alright, well," Naruto shared a couple of helpless looks with Shikamaru and Kiba, "Uh. Anything new in your life since the last time we ran into each other?"

"Do you really care?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I asked, didn't I?"

For no reason at all (or so it seemed to Naruto), Sasuke set the unfinished bottle onto the bar and walked away, completely blowing them off.

"Wow, what an asshole," said Naruto.

"I'm not too surprised." Kiba snatched the beer bottle for himself.

"I still don't like him," commented Shikamaru. "But at least he's consistent."

"Yeah, right," Naruto drawled sarcastically. "Consistent at bein' an _asshole_. That guy's always needed a serious beatdown."

"Too bad you were never able to do it in high school," said Shikamaru. "It was always the other way around."

"Sasuke never _beat_ me," he complained. "Like that'd ever happen."

"Yeah," Kiba laughed. "He probably worried it might chip one of his nails."

"You two did sort of have a very... _interesting_ relationship," said Shikamaru.

"What's that supposed t'mean?" Naruto nudged him in the shoulder. "You make it sound like we were gay for each other."

"I wondered that sometimes," joked Kiba. "Except I also thought you two genuinely hated each other's guts. You'd get into a fight about every day. At least it was always entertainin' with you two around."

"We were just kids back then," Naruto argued. "It's different now. I don't even know who Sasuke is anymore."

"Did anyone ever know him all that well?" Shikamaru yawned.

Naruto shrugged in response. Sasuke didn't _look_ a whole lot different. They'd all been forced to wear uniforms in high school (even if Naruto did try to slightly deviate from it when he could by wearing bright sneakers or untucking his shirt, or one day he wore the girls' uniform skirt while pretending to champion sexism), but he guessed the current Sasuke did dress like a successful rich guy would. He was still antisocial and mostly unfriendly, though.

But whatever. That was years ago. Naruto came here to have a good time, so he wouldn't let Sasuke's being here bother him. Although, the question was: Why did Sasuke come here at all?

Naruto stopped caring about the whole Sasuke-thing once he had a few more drinks with the guys. He did, however, have to be restrained when he tried to go after Sakura's date as they attempted to sneak away from the party.

"Cut it out, Naruto," hissed Sakura, who had her coat thrown over her arm. "You're embarrassing yourself. And me! I can take care of myself, so just remember what you promised!"

Naruto glared at the man she was with. He brought his fingers - in a V - and pointed at his eyes and then at him. "I've got my eyes on you, just so y'know. I know people."

Kiba was laughing in his ear as he and Shikamaru kept a hold of him, finally allowing the couple to leave in peace.

"I think we should cut you off," said Shikamaru.

Naruto shrugged his friend's hand off his shoulder. "I'm fine. It's cool. She can go home with who she wants."

"Please don't tell me you _still_ have a thing for her," said Kiba. "I mean, everyone knows she always had a thing for Sasuke."

"Shut up, asshole." Naruto stumbled away from them. "I dunno why everyone always thought Sasuke was so perfect. He wasn't, y'know." He was slurring his words all over the place. "Stupid Sasuke." There was a sudden change in his friends' expressions after that. "He's standin' behind me, isn't he?" They nodded, and he turned around. "Hey, Sasuke. I didn't know you were there." He slapped his hand down on Sasuke's chest. "Havin' a good time, huh? Crushin' my dreams and hopes...?"

Sasuke didn't look too amused. In fact, Naruto would wager he appeared a bit disgusted, but what did he care about what Sasuke thought of him?

"You're drunk," he said to Naruto.

"Wow, you really _are_ a genius." Naruto smirked even while he swayed a bit on his feet. He ignored Kiba and Shikamaru, who were muttering in the background. Something about him having a 'death wish'.

Sasuke, somehow, seemed a tad closer to him than seconds before. "Is that the best you can do?" he asked Naruto. "And what do you do now, Naruto? Pump gas? Flip burgers? I hear you're living with Sakura." He sneered. "Still chasing after my leftovers, are you? Now I remember why I came to this party. Seeing you has always made me feel so much better about myself. You'll always be _pathetic_."

Something snapped in Naruto's brain, and he reached for the front of Sasuke's jacket, tugging him forward. "Y'wanna take this outside, Sasuke? 'Cause you may be used to everyone runnin' around kissin' your ass. Unfortunately for them, that's gonna be hard to do when my foot's up there."

Sasuke smirked. "Did that make sense in that tiny brain of yours?"

"THAT MEANS I'M GONNA FUCKIN' KICK YOUR ASS, YOU ASSHOLE!" Naruto made a lunge for him, but the next thing he knew, Sasuke had him slammed face-first into the wall with his wrist pinned behind his back.

"Who's going to kick whose ass?" Sasuke said near his ear and tightened his hold, causing a shock of pain that shot all the way up to his shoulder. Naruto attempted to struggle anyway. People were beginning to stare at them, talking amongst themselves. Some were even beginning to walk over to see what was going on.

Sasuke made a noise that sounded like an annoyed cluck of his tongue as people started to crowd around them. He let go of Naruto's arm, backed away, ran his hand over his shirt to work out the wrinkles, and turned away from him, leaving Naruto leaning against the wall, holding his wrist to his chest.

He glared at Sasuke's back.

Stupid jerk. It was starting to seem like his sole purpose for coming here tonight was to piss Naruto off!

He ignored Kiba and Shikamaru's questions and looks. He even ignored Neji who'd come over to see what had happened. Naruto brushed them all off without saying anything. As he passed by the bar, he grabbed another beer, and, wanting to be alone, he stumbled his way out of the ballroom. He thought about heading to the lobby or texting Sai to come pick him up, but, instead, he wandered down the hallway toward one of the exits, which led to a stairwell. He closed the door behind him and took a moment to lean against the wall, staring up at the steps that would take him all the way to the rooftop.

Once on the roof, Naruto propped the door open with one of his shoes. It vaguely occurred to him that it was cold enough to freeze his nuts off, and he hadn't brought a jacket. He slid down to the floor, his back to the wall, and sipped at his beer. The view was great, though. The way the spotlights shined on the arch, making it glow. The Mississippi River lay behind it, snaking its way through the center of the city. He tipped his head back against the brick, closed his eyes, and let out a heavy sigh.

Maybe Sasuke was right. Maybe he really was pathetic. After all, Sasuke was this successful rich guy that all the women from their school wanted and all the men wanted to be like. And what did Naruto have to show for what he'd done? He'd always talked about doing things, too, but all he did now was some graphic designing for a local car dealership.

He may have been out there ten minutes - enough time for his fingers to go slightly numb - when the door opened beside him. Of _course_, it was Sasuke. Of course. Naruto wasn't allowed to have any peace so long as Sasuke remained on this planet. He bent over to pick up Naruto's shoe, replacing it with this stone plant holder. He dropped the shoe in Naruto's lap and, much to his astonishment, Sasuke'd brought the jacket he'd left behind in the ballroom. He draped it over Naruto's head.

As Naruto put it on - as well as his shoe - he watched Sasuke walk to the railing. He seemed to be looking out over the city as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"Well, this feels nostalgic," he said, loud enough for Sasuke to hear.

Sasuke didn't respond as he pulled out a lighter from his jacket pocket and began to smoke.

There were a few sounds of traffic coming from the streets below, the occasional airplane flying over from Lambert Airport, but, for the most part, it was oddly peaceful up here with just the two of them.

"Y'know, I never told anyone that you used to come up to the school roof to smoke. They would've booted you out for sure, and I bet y'never would've got that fancy degree of yours."

Sasuke flicked some ash over the side of the building. He glanced over his shoulder at Naruto. "Do you want a reward?"

Naruto glared. "No, but a 'thank you' might be kinda nice, don't y'think?"

Sasuke stared out over the river again for a few seconds before turning around and coming toward him. He looked down at Naruto with those intense, dark eyes of his, and then he handed him the cigarette.

"Thanks," Sasuke said.

Naruto squinted at him. "I don't smoke."

"You're rejecting my peace offering?"

Naruto took the cigarette. "Just 'cause you brought me my jacket doesn't make up for all the shit you used to pull in high school."

"That wasn't my intention."

"Well, sit down at least. I don't like you standin' over me like that. It's given me vertigo or somethin'."

"Do you even know what vertigo is?" Sasuke asked.

"Sure, I do," he took a puff of the cigarette, not entirely knowing what to do with it as he coughed out some smoke. "It's a Hitchcock movie, right?"

At that, Sasuke laughed, and Naruto smiled, feeling some sense of accomplishment. Sasuke took a seat beside him. They kept passing the cigarette back and forth between them.

"So where are you now?" Naruto asked after the quiet had made him antsy again.

"I'm here for a while," answered Sasuke.

"Oh." He looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

Sasuke caught the look. "What?"

Naruto shrugged. "Thought you'd be somewhere... bigger. Fancier. Like, New York or San Fransisco or London."

"Traveling becomes tiring after a while. Sometimes you want to come home."

Naruto couldn't help but stare. Sasuke took the cigarette back, their fingers brushing together.

"It's weird to hear you say that," Naruto remarked, keeping his voice low. And then he grinned goofily. "Makes me oddly happy, though."

"Does it? I'm so glad," Sasuke replied sarcastically.

"Hey, Sasuke?"

"What?" Sasuke sounded annoyed.

"Why did you come tonight?"

Sasuke was staring straight ahead. He pulled one knee up to his chest, resting the hand holding the cigarette on it. "Who knows."

Naruto laughed at his answer. "Are you sure you didn't come just to piss me off?"

Sasuke didn't reply. Naruto watched him closely, searching his face, his expression for answers, but there weren't any that he could see. Maybe Sasuke didn't even know why he'd shown up tonight.

"It's weird," Naruto started to say, a small smile on his lips as he bowed his head a bit, remembering old times. "It doesn't feel that long ago. When I used to skip class and go up to the roof."

"As I recall, the first time we ran into each other, you were ogling the girls of Hustler."

"Ha, yeah," said Naruto. "And you didn't notice me sittin' there as you lit up your cigarette. Mr. Perfect. Mr. Class President of our junior year, breakin' school rules. Right in front of my face. I nearly wet myself. You kept comin' back, though."

"Because I knew you'd never rat me out."

Naruto felt oddly pleased by this statement of confidence. He rubbed the side of his nose with his thumb and stole the cigarette back from Sasuke. "Yeah. I didn't think you'd be the type to turn me in either. I always sorta wished - " He stopped, shook his head, and brought the cigarette to his lips.

Sasuke's jacket scraped against the wall behind them as he turned to Naruto.

"Wished what?" he asked.

"Nothin'. It sounded stupid in my head, so nevermind."

"I can't imagine much doesn't sound stupid in your head."

"Yeah, well. I was just thinkin' that I wished we'd hung out. Like, not just during lunch or skipped classes."

"I thought you hated me," said Sasuke.

"I did." Naruto cocked his head, concentrating on a pair of stars in the distance. He held his fingers up in an 'L' to capture them. "And I didn't."

"Ah," said Sasuke. "That clears everything up."

Naruto ribbed him in his side with an elbow. "Shut up."

"You live with Sakura now," Sasuke said quietly. "Are you two... dating?"

"Why, are you suddenly interested in her after all these years?"

"Not really, no."

"No," he said, the word clipped. "I'm not datin' her. We're just friends. Good friends. What about you, Sasuke? Have you found your one true love yet?"

Sasuke's laughter was low and gruff. "Hardly."

"Yeah, I suppose it'd be hard to find someone who'd put up with all your shit."

"Even I have to admit you're not far from the mark on that one."

It was Naruto's turn to laugh. "At least you're honest." His expression turned thoughtful. "You were always honest, though."

"So were you," Sasuke replied and checked his watch.

"What time is it?" Naruto asked. It was cold out, but he felt comfortable. Weirdly enough, it felt good to sit side by side with Sasuke, the both of them leaning against each other for the little bit of extra warmth it gave.

Sasuke spoke with the cigarette in his mouth. "Time for you to get a new watch."

"No wonder you're single," said Naruto. "Your humor's lousy."

"Women don't take a guy to bed expecting to hear his stand-up routine, Naruto."

"Really?" Naruto grinned. "Maybe that's where I've gone wrong. I'm sure all you have to do is walk up to them, tell them your name, and they follow after you like a loyal puppy."

"I don't know about 'loyal' but your assumption isn't altogether inaccurate."

An airplane flew overhead, and they both watched it ascend into the dark skies until it was nothing more than a blinking red light in the distance.

"Is that why you've come home?" Naruto asked, giving Sasuke a serious look.

Sasuke frowned at the question, taking his time before answering, "I don't know."

"Maybe," Naruto prounounced the word slowly, "Since you're gonna be here for a while, we could try hangin' out other places besides roofs."

"How long do you think it will take before we try to kill each other?" Sasuke turned to him, and, for only a second or two, wore a genuine smile.

"Hmm." Naruto smiled, too. "Until you open your mouth?"

"If the same goes for you, I suppose it should only take," Sasuke glanced at his watch, "Half a second."

"Are you sayin' I talk too much?" Naruto poked him in the arm.

Sasuke glared at the finger. "I'm saying that you're annoying." He started to get to his feet, but he did hold a hand out for Naruto to take. "Most of the time."

Naruto took the offered hand and let Sasuke pull him up. "At least it's not 'all the time'."

"We should go back in," Sasuke said, opening the door and glancing at him. "Or someone's going to think I'm trying to dispose of your dead body."

He held the door open for Naruto, and Naruto followed him.

"I _hope_ that's the only conclusion they've come to," Naruto muttered as they started down the stairs.

"What do you mean?" asked Sasuke.

"Just that, some people seemed to have weird ideas about the two of us."

"Weird ideas?"

They paused at the door for the floor where the party was located.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, averting his gaze to the ugly-patterned carpet. "Nothin'. It's nothin'. Don't worry about it."

"What weird ideas do people have about us, Naruto?" Sasuke asked more forcefully.

"It doesn't matter. No one in their right mind would ever think we're gay for each other."

Sasuke's eyebrow seemed to give a vicious twitch. Naruto grinned and then started laughing. He opened the door, taking pleasure in the shock and embarrassment on Sasuke's face. Even his cheeks had turned red. As Sasuke passed by him while he held the door, he stopped to give Naruto a very strange, very disturbed look that made him chuckle again.

Making their way to the ballroom, Naruto offered him a comforting pat on the back.

"There, there, Sasuke. It could be worse?"

"I'm not sure how, but it's not as if I care what anyone thinks."

"Good," said Naruto. "Glad you've finally seen the light." He tried to put his arm around Sasuke's shoulders, but Sasuke quickly shrugged it off. "Okay, we'll work up to that."

"We're not working up to _anything_." Sasuke sent him a scary look that probably had the power to make puppies simultaneously explode everywhere around the world.

Naruto folded his arms behind his head. "We'll start slow. Soon enough, you won't want to ever get rid of me."

"More like you're something that can't be gotten rid of."

"Yeah," replied Naruto. "Sorta like herpes."

Sasuke shook his head. "God help me. I made a mistake in coming here tonight."

"Nah," said Naruto. "And Sasuke?"

Sasuke scowled as he stopped only a foot from the doorway. "What is it?"

"Welcome home." Naruto smiled at him. "Place didn't feel the same without you."


End file.
